Rodney Rose

RODNEY GEORGE "ROD" ROSE, 86, of Houston, TX passed away peacefully on January 8, 2014, surrounded by his family, after a long and valiant battle with Parkinsons and cancer.

Rod was born in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England on August 10, 1927. After graduating from Cranfield Institute of Technology he worked for Supermarine, then for Avro Canada. In 1959 he became one of the 31 top Avro engineers recruited by the fledgling NASA organization. He was with NASA from pre-Mercury days through Gemini, Apollo through to the shuttle program, much of that time in the Flight Operations Directorate under Chris Kraft. After retiring from a distinguished career at NASA in 1984 he joined Rockwell, then in 1989 retired to Wimberley, TX where he and his wife Leila spent many happy years. Declining health and a desire to be near family brought them back to the Houston area.

Rod is preceded in death by his parents David and Flora; brother Arthur; and sister Joyce.

Rod is survived by his loving wife of 62 years Leila. They were married in Huntingdon, England on January 8, 1952.

Rod is lovingly remembered and will be greatly missed by his wife Leila; brother Ken; sons Steven and wife Linda, Christopher and wife Amy and daughters Lindsey and Lauren; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

Rod had a life-long love for photography and was an accomplished amateur photographer. He was a dedicated member and past president of the Wimberley Lions Club and was a fixture at their annual Wimberley Market Days event. He loved the Hill Country and cherished his years in Wimberley. After returning to Houston he and Leila built a vacation home at Canyon Lake, where they enjoyed the Hill Country ambience and spending time with family and friends.

Rod had a favorite Browning quote that was used in the original NASA Space Center Roundup publication: "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?". There could be no more fitting motto to exemplify Rod's life and career.

A memorial service and reception will be held at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, 13001 Katy Fwy, Houston (www.memorialoaksfunerals.com) on Friday January 17, 2014 at 12:30P, with the Rev. Sam Craven of St Emmanuel Episcopal Church presiding.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Houston Area Parkinsons Society (http://www.hapsonline.org/). The family of Rod Rose wishes to thank Ms. Shana Pollock, Ana and "her girls", and Houston Hospice for their dedicated and invaluable support. Condolences for the family may be offered online at the Memorial Oaks web site.